Till I Collapse
by gaara-sasusaku7
Summary: After Konoha discovers a surplus of mineral that could be used as a "fountain of youth" serum,they are attacked by the surrounding villages,led by an unexpected rival: Suna.Willing to die for Konoha,Sakura infiltrates the sand village in search of clues,but instead comes face to face with a man who will force her to question her loyalties and reveal Konoha's true intentions.GaaXSak


Good lord. It's been a while since I wrote, but, hey, Kami blessed my fingers so here I am to delivah. Hallelujer. :D I'd like to thank you, whoever you are, for clicking on the title of my story; I'm very honored to be able to consider myself the entertainment for your day.

Before the story begins I'd like to do the usual thing and state my disclaimer; I do not own Naruto or any affiliated products of the series or series creator. The story plot is the only thing that belongs to me, and the characters are merely being borrowed for the purpose of entertainment. The setting is somewhat modern, meh, it doesn't follow the story line.

**RATED M+ FOR LATER ADULT SITUATIONS.**

**All characters are of age, or older. *sweatdrop* I wont bother with unnecessary details. I'll think up some ages later. Just know I think of Sakura being around 19 or 20, same with Gaara if not a little older. **

Enjoy. 3

_After losing count of how many days she had spent in darkness, Sakura finally had accepted the fact that she was being held captive in a stale, giant cell, her body was giving off the rank smell of death, and a wound was festering just above her left ankle. With a quivering hand she reached up to wipe feverish snot away from her nose. The infection was progressing steadily now that her chakra reserves had been emptied by her attempts at healing. Whatever they had done to her, it was blocking the rest of her strength from manifesting with her medical skills. As long as she held onto her sanity, however, she'd be fine._

_A small chuckle left her lips. Did they think they had her? What a joke, using confinement to weaken such a strong individual as her. But she would give them their show, yes. Every so often she feigned strikes of pain and panic attacking her system and would pretend to lay in a feverish stupor; she wanted them to see and come to her, question her and open up whatever filthy door was near so she could strike with the inner bitch that had been coiling inside of her for the time she had been held. _

_Her tailbone ached as she slumped against the bend of the cell's walls. Letting the darkness cover her face, she allowed herself to soak in the true havoc happening inside her brain, and an honestly sorrowful cry came out of her before she could stop it. Sakura fisted her hand and bit down on her knuckles, hard._

_She couldn't let them know just how truly scared she was. No one. Especially _him_._

_One month before:_

Konoha had once been prosperous, of that there was no doubt, but its current foundations were weakened and crumbling. Sadly, Tsunade realized they had been left to crumble like an old, lone book resting on a crummy shell. The thought sent her reeling, yet she welcomed the pain and guilt it brought.

In the dark of her disheveled office, Tsunade's eyes were the only things that glowed with a psychotic intensity. She had been locked in her office for days, incognito, after the other villages had joined and attacked Konoha. The woman was no coward, but Kakashi and Jirayia had brutally forced her into confinement.

"Fuckers," she spat. The hardened expression on her face softened as the floor beneath her rumbled. This was the third bomb today. Fury sparked within her.

"How can you _little-shits _keep me in here!" she cried. "How can you not let me fight for _my _land? _Our _land!" Her shrill screams echoed to no avail; there was no response. Picking up the nearest object, some sort of heavy book, she hurled it at the door and it instantly pulverized from the shock. The seals placed upon the office walls, however, kept the door from being forced out of its hinges by her inhuman strength. A feral grin overtook her features. Her comrades had thought keeping her locked would help her keep her head cool and ready for strategy.

"_Wrong!" _she snarled. Another book was thrown. "They need me on the battlefront! Shikamaru can take care of the war strategy!" The agony in her voice was ignored.

"Maybe I should just kill myself!" She screamed. "Let them take the diamonds! Let them take the Starlight!" Tsunade growled. Her fingers curled around a lamp frame, and she flung it at the door, where its bulb shattered upon contact. Just then she heard the knob turn. Light flooded the enclosed space and Tsunade squinted in pain at the silhouette in the doorway.

"Tsunade-sama," a voice called. "We have no time to discuss your selfish need of a suicide; the war efforts have ceased."

The blonde Hokage blinked as her senses took in the ninja's sharp words. "Naruto," she breathed, struggling to her feet, When had he gained that commanding tone? "What do you mean?"

His cerulean eyes were void of emotion as he reported the past hour's events. "Anbu have scouted the area, and the enemy has retreated completely…" Naruto trailed off, hesitating in relating the rest of the disconcerting news to his shaken leader.

"What?" Tsunade pushed. Her panicked gaze trailed from Naruto to the figures behind him; Anko, Kurenai, Kakashi, Iruka…no one was saying anything, yet their pained expressions said it all. "What is it?"

"It's Suna," Naruto sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. "They had had no part in this until today; their scouts are bordering the entire village. Gaara isn't present, though. It makes me feel like it's against his orders."

"They would never act without the Kazekage's permission,"Tsunade uttered. Her brows furrowed as her mind whirred, trying to whip up a plausible explanation. "What are they doing?"

Kakashi pat Naruto's back as the boy's face flushed with anger, he carefully motioned for him to leave the rest to him and the elders and Naruto nodded before pushing past the rest of the group. Kurenai was the last to come inside the office, her red eyes glittering with the last ray of light.

"They're trying to take the medics," Kakashi released the bad news quickly, watching the Hokage with a close eye before continuing. "They've already shot several down for refusing, and they have threatened to pursue different paths of action if no one consents to leave with them." He watched as Tsunade's eyes flickered with the registered information. Just as he had hoped, the woman had snapped back to reality and would be in mint condition in no time. "We've needed your guidance, you know?" He confided.

Tsunade looked down in shame, had they heard all she had said before? Through the darkness she could feel their eyes on her, she knew what they expected and, hell, she would give it to them.

"Set up a lay out," she commanded. "I want the village blueprints and maps laid out before me. I want Anbu patrolling so I can know who's taking a shit, when they're doing it, where, and how they wipe their ass when they're done." With one powerful stroke of her hand she sent the crap that had been accumulating on her desk flying to the ground, and Iruka wasted no time in laying out a map upon the surface. Kakashi and Kurenai shared the first look of relief they had held for days; Tsunade's confinement had worked, her clinical thinking was back.

"Nobody messes with me," the Hokage growled. "Nobody messes with Konoha."


End file.
